No Talent All-Stars 2-0 KoPite MuGaz

Weather: Drizzle

Gate: 32k

Bring-a-Bed Stadium was near to capacity for the first home game of the All-Stars season. The 32,000 in attendance bore witness to the first defeat of the season for the leaders in the Western Conference, the Mugaz. It was a crucial game for the All-Stars having just gained their first points of the season with a win over the Fabienettes that kept them in the running for a playoff place. For their part, the Mugaz were coming off a morale boosting victory against the Dolts that had confirmed them as genuine post-season contenders.

A slight drizzle accompanied the opening kick-off as the ball landed midway in the Mugaz half. Arda, the Dark Elf Thrower took possession and moved into the comparative protection of a pocket behind the front line. The safety was only relative despite the protection around as the Mugaz completely failed to press home any sort of blocking advantage. Only Norse Thrower Aaaarne "The Launcher" managed a successful block in a disappointing series of hits. This failure was punished and punished severely. Kaneris N'Gillthrog the All-Stars dynamic Ogre and team captain burst through the Mugaz line, breaking tackles left and right before smashing into Arda and knocking the ball from the Dark Elf's grasp. The opening play of the game was in tatters as Human Blitzer Jack Hour took advantage of his team-mate's brutal blitz by collecting the ball and heading downfield. The Mugaz were caught completely off guard and totally out of position as none of them had anticipated such a quick turnover as they had never before been stopped in their own backfield. By the time the Mugaz had reacted to their setback, Jack Hour was away. Flanked by bulky bodyguard, Kaneris and Saurus Blocker Verkampf "Rat Destroyer", Jack was in the clear and heading towards the end zone. Adopting delaying tactics, he paused for a moment to the point at which the Mugaz could possibly have caught up. With a wave to the crowd, the Blitzer walked over the line to open the scoring. The All-Stars could hardly have had a better start to the game, the only drawback for them on the opening drive was the sending off of Lineman Tom Flid for an innocuous foul.

At the next kick-off, the Mugaz were understandably more circumspect. They were faced once again by an aggressive defensive formation with Kaneris N'Gillthrog on one flank and Verkampf "Rat Destroyer" on the other. Once again it was Arda who took up the running but this time, he passed out to Norse Catcher Sami "The Hoop" who is a tougher proposition to block than the Dark Elf can be. It wasn't enough. Once again, it was Kaneris N'Gillthrog, who was able to bring the ball carrier down. Unlike earlier in the game, the ball did not go straight to hand. A series of fumbles ensued as neither team could put a firm grip on the ball. In scenes reminiscent of the All-Stars game against the Savages, a massive blocking melee gathered momentum. Both teams mauled one another in a desperate effort to come up with the spherical prize. It seemed the Mugaz may have been the ones to strike the crucial blow when Mummy Blocker Mumraaah hit Kaneris. The millennia of experience came into play as the Ogre was forced from the field badly hurt. It still wasn't enough. Another couple of spills presented the All-Stars with one last opportunity. It was an opportunity they took through High Elf Thrower Thaleus Thunderarm who had been a key part of the All-Stars play since coming back from an injury suffered against the Wildmen. The Elf grabbed possession of the ball and managed a pass to Jack Hour. The Blitzer was free again to run in for his and the side's second score of the half.

There was no further play of note during the half. At 2-0 down, away from home, there was no doubt the leaders in the West were in trouble. For their part, the All-Stars had put on their most impressive display so far to restrict the offence that had managed 7 touchdowns in the three previous games to not once breaking out of their own half. The half-time interval saw a bold move from the All-Stars dugout. They devoted all their medical attention to patching up Kaneris knowing that they would have nothing left should another player suffer a more serious injury.

Neither side started quickly in the second half. Only 6 blocks were thrown in the opening quarter of the second half, a surprisingly small number given the general level of blocking mayhem the game had seen so far. The half began to pick up when Thaleus Thunderam took command, driving the ball towards the Mugaz lines. He got just three yards when he was met by Aaaarne "The Launcher". The Norseman battered into the slender physique of the Elf, causing the ball to bounce free once again. The fumble count was increasing to record proportions rapidly. In fact, most of the second half can be characterised as being a fumble-fest. Players from both sides piled in to the vicinity of the ball as once again an All-Stars drive threatened to grind to a halt. The Mugaz just could not quite get through to the ball. Their efforts always just a yard or a tackle zone away from success.

The All-Stars just could not hold onto the ball. Any time a player gained possession, they were hit by a tackle. The ball went nowhere and neither side could clear enough opposition players out of the way to gain supremacy. To an uninformed observer it could have appeared that nothing was happening. Indeed, only a casualty from Jack Hour and the sending off of Mugaz Lineman Kinochit did anything to engage the crowd. Thaleus Thunderarm repeatedly attempted to gain possession of the ball only to be tackled by Mumraaah three times in the half as the Undead phenom showed just exactly how to restrict the play of a faster and more skillful opponent. Time was running out when Thunderarm finally escaped Mumraaah's clutches and a pass was completed to Wood Elf Lineman Aenarion Swift. It was too late. The All-Stars had failed to make inroads into the Mugaz defence but their first half demolition of the Mugaz offence was enough to leave them with a 2-0 win and a revival of their hopes of league success.

A first defeat of the season for the erstwhile conference leaders, the Mugaz will be disappointed to have lost against a team in the All-Stars who had not managed a win so far against another Western Conference opponent. The Mugaz just could not contain the tackle breaking and making ability of Kaneris N'Gillthrog but will have been heartened by the number of tackles they made of their own in the second half and the restricting of the All-Stars attack. The All-Stars will feel that a win is a win but they will surely have to be concerned about their continued lack of success in the mass maul situation that seems to continually occur in games they are featured in.

Injuries: None

Key Stats

Team	CAS	Blocks	Downs	Rush	Tackle	Fum
All-Stars	2	43	19	20	3	15
Mugaz	2	34	21	9	5	10

MVPS: Grak Hedsplitta, Mumraaah